Imeds, S^c.f of Siirinayn. 361 



phosis of insects. Larvae of forbidding aspect sometimes 

 shine, in their hour of perfection, in all the glorious tints of 

 gems, and gold, and silver, and gaudy flowers, while those of 

 more lovely hues produce in the end a garb of sober colours. 

 The plant is the water melon (Cucurbita Citrulliis L.). Though 

 a cooling fruit, it becomes insipid here, and hardly merits 

 the praises it has received in the warmer regions of the old 

 world. 



Plate 16. The central figures are useless, and, I think, 

 confused. The white larva is of wonderful structure, and 

 equals in interest any of those so beautifully depicted in the 

 plates lately published by the indefatigable Dr. Horsfield. 

 It is more probable that it produced the white cocoon and 

 colourless moth so shamefully engraved. The banded larva 

 has the aspect of those of many Papiliones, and, with the pupa 

 on the stalk, I should suppose, belongs to the butterfly here 

 neatly drawn, which is the Papilio anacardii Fabr, 567. It 

 is the P. Piera Gmel. 2257., and the P. anacardii, 2258. ! of 

 this careless compiler. The upper part of the plate is a very 

 fair representation of the leaves, flowers, and young fruit of 

 the cashew (Anac^rdium occidentale) ; but the lower part of 

 the engraving exhibits an unpardonable instance of the au- 

 thor's carelessness, and of the readiness with which she listened 

 to the stories of those who sent her subjects for her pencil. 

 The ripe fruit is reversed, and, by means of an imaginary 

 peduncle, placed under the leaves, where it never grows. The 

 yellow variety is most valued when sweet, and is often used 

 to communicate a pleasant flavour to punch. They are seldom 

 eaten except when preserved, from the vile indelible stains 

 they communicate to our linen. The truly reniform external 

 nuts, when deprived of their very caustic oil by hot coals, 

 afford one of the most delicious of all kernels, which will 

 keep for a long time. Bottles are sometimes tied under the 

 young fruit, which is allowed to grow within till it is large 

 and ripe, when it is preserved in spirits as a curiosity, and 

 serves to exercise the ingenuity of children, who cannot 

 account for the method of its introduction. 



Plate 17. The larva, pupa, and two figures of Papilio 

 Anchise5 Gmel. 2230. The pretty larva is remarkable for 

 those retractile cervical scent organs called by Kirby osmateria, 

 which are found in some of its congeners, as Papilio Poly- 

 dama5 Drury. The small figures are rude attempts to 

 represent some of the Coccidse. The plant is the lime (Citrus 

 Lima) with its delicate odoriferous blossoms, abounding in 

 our islands. The young lime forms one of the finest green 

 preserves when emptied, and the fine acid of the ripe ones 



